Best Annotated Games Collection
@aidin299: Ha ha. Good question. Maybe I didn't make it very clear, but when I bought the book, I had not yet read any game collection book, and so, I did not know what was right for me. Nonetheless, I have to admit that the book is entertaining and although I don't understand as much as an expert or master might, I still pick up a few things just from reading the book and playing through the games. Obviously, I would probably derive more practical benefit from reading some of the other books mentioned in this thread, but I'm sure you'd agree with me when I say that reading an overly advanced book is better than reading nothing at all.
After doing some of my own research, I'd say that the following books are all very good choices for further reading (in no particular order):
Chess Master vs Chess Amateur by Max Euwe
The Most Instructive Chess Games Ever Played by Irving Chernev
Masters of the Chess Board by Richard Reti
How to be a Class A Player by Alex Dunne
Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking by Neil McDonald
Mrsuitcase, there are plenty of copies of Dunne's book on abebooks.com (and its UK analogue). I am intrigued why I have not heard this book recommended before.
Were... and it appears as if the cheapest two copies were scooped during my commute from work to home! :-) Oh well, I'm patient.
@aidin299: Oh. Was there a constraint regarding notation? I personally am fine with algebraic, English descriptive, and descriptive notation.
You can get by without descriptive for sure, but you'll be missing out on 500 Master Games (Tartakover) at least.
One of those desert island books.
[cri de coeur mode on]
If the recommended books in descriptive notation are so wonderful (which I am sure they are!), why haven't they been republished in algebraic?
[cri de coeur mode off]
[cri de coeur mode on]
If the recommended books in descriptive notation are so wonderful (which I am sure they are!), why haven't they been republished in algebraic?
[cri de coeur mode off]
So that old fogeys like me can talk about the good old days.
Mr suitcase, I placed an order for one which has now been cancelled, presumably because someone got the copy before me. I, too, must be patient.
The games contained in Kasparov's My Great Predecessors series gave excellent annotations from multiple sources.
New York 1924 by Alekhine, Understanding chess move by move by Nunn, Most Instructive games ever played by Chernev are all great. Also good is Seirawans winning chess brilliancies. Alekhine's "On the road to the world championship" sounds great by what a lot of people have said (including Kasparov) but I don't have it.